Well we all know how the draft worked out for us. We went heavy on defense and got deeper for the 2017 season.

But how did our stinking rivals do?

Let’s start with the J – E – T – E?

How do you misspell the team name if its’ four letters. Tony Richardson managed to do that when announcing a Day 2 pick. Nice Job Tony!

SUCK – SUCK – SUCK!

The Jests actually got a hell of a player with their first round pick – Jamal Adams, the LSU safety. That should help them build their defense. They can put him next to Calvin Pryor and…

Oh…what’s this they are trying to trade Calvin Pryor and Sheldon Richardson. Um…that’s just a rumor right. Nope. The jests showed everyone their dissatisfaction with Pryor by making their 2nd round pick…another safety – Marcus Maye.

Maye is another good player. But more importantly it shows that the Jests are rebuilding and done with former 2014 first rounder Calvin Pryor.

So that worked out for them…

The next 2 picks would be receivers ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen. Frankly, nothing to get too excited about. But in the 5th round they did nab Clemson Tight End Jordan Legett probably their best pick.

The jests are horrible at QB. And they did nothing to address it in the draft.

Their final four picks were Edge Dylan Donahue (obviously missing on the edge fishers available early), RB Elijah McGuire, and CBs Jeremy Clark and Derrick Jones. That’s 4 DBS!!!

Expect the Jests to suck in 2017. Despite adding some talent to their secondary they had an underwhelming offseason.

How about the Bills….

Well they fired their general manager, Doug Whaley the day after the draft. It was somewhat expected that they were going to make the move before the draft…they officially said “we will be moving in a new direction”

New direction? Maybe the draft is a good place to start in that direction? Just me?

I wonder if new direction actually means drafting a QB who can compete in the NFL.

The Bills were sitting at 10 and decided that QB was not a big need of theirs. Both Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were on the board at 10 – so the Bills traded with the Chiefs all the way back to 27 and while they did get a 2018 first round pick in the trade, they missed out on drafting a QB that could seriously compete for the starting job. Mahomes was the Chiefs pick and Watson was off the board a few picks later.

The Bills took LSU CB TreDevious White with their first pick, WR Zay Jones and OG Dion Dawkins in the 2nd round. But did not even look for a QB until the 5th round when they took Nathan Peterman.

The Peterman selection prompted a dialogue from Kiper and ESPN’s talking heads about Peterman competing for the starting job with Tyrod Taylor and Cardale Jones…

Of course Peterman can compete with those guys! So can an UDFA!

That’s how bad the QB position is in Buffalo. Either Taylor, Jones or Peterman will be their Qb in 2017….poop

The Bills don’t care about the QB position and that’s why they have the longest playoff drought in the NFL.

It’s enough to cause your fan base to throw dildos on the field!

The Bills also took a pair of LBs in Matt Milano and Taylor Vallejo before their day was through.

Let’s face it…it’s not the Bills or Jests that have us worried. It’s the Patriots.

The good news. The Patriots didn’t have a lot of picks – in part because of a pretty aggressive offseason.

The Patriots also didn’t trade Jimmy Garappolo, which was rumored to be on their plate and would have helped them pick up an early pick.

So the Patriots, who I can only guess were devising new ways to cheat in the first two rounds, didn’t show up until the 3rd round.

They took Derek Rivers with that pick, a pass rushing specialist from Youngstown State. In the 4th round They took another pass rusher in Deatrick Wise, Jr. So obviously the Patriots were focussed on improving their pass rush.

Thankfully they only had two other picks, both tackles, Antonio Garcia in the 3rd and Connor McDermott in the 6th.

But the reality is the Patriots were very aggressive this offseason before the draft.

Like this:

414 Responses to Draft Recap – Our Stinking Rivals!

LOL at Chef pig stewing Brady. Can’t wait for him to retire…he’s 40 this season after all. And as you point out the other two in the division are aimlessly looking for a QB. Almost make you wonder if folks appreciate what we have in Tanny.

Cunningham or Anzalone would have been better for how i was seeing what we might want at MLB or OLB, but that might be the big thing, what we are seeing as what they would need doesnt really match up with what they really needed. McMillian is a completely different type of LB, so its very likely thats the whole reason they wanted him and not someone else. Obviously they changes something about their LB mindset, because we deviated in FA as well. We went with a smash mouth, not great coverage guy as well, so its probably a philosphical difference thats making us feel uneasy.

This from ESPN about every team’s post draft Issues. Basically our biggest problem is we’re in the same division as the Pats.

Miami Dolphins

Solidify things on the offensive line.

This isn’t really a major problem area, as Laremy Tunsil should be able to slide over to left tackle, rookie Isaac Asiata might start at guard and there’s some reasonable level of optimism about the health of Mike Pouncey. But honestly, it was hard to find something here. The Dolphins’ biggest problem is the team in front of them in the standings. Their roster looks ready to compete for a title in basically any division but the one the defending Super Bowl champions have won 13 of the past 14 years. Maybe Miami can petition for a one-year realignment or something.

As far as the Harris pick, none of those picks they listed to me are better than Harris or have any more potential to be. Foster in the long run, maybe, but im not a big believer in Njoku or Takk like a lot here are, and i think Lamp is pretty overblown. He looks pretty solid and he played big in some big games, but he doesnt just blow me away. TBH, Asisata had some blocks and plays were i was like we need this guy, Lamp didn’t impress me the same but his overall play was very good. Taco would have been a good pick, but he also isn’t giving us dynamic pass rushing ability that Harris does, he has some good power moves, and i think he could have been a 7-8 sack guy, but i think Harris could be a 12-14 sack guy, especially with Wake helping him develop. They already have very similar play styles. Harris was easily the second best pure pass rusher as a DE in the draft, Barnett, then Harris and i think we got a guy at a very good value pick wise.

McMillian pick, again, this is my bias, he was the best 2 gap run stuffer available, and it may be a mindset shift now that Burke is the DC, but previously we were looking for atletic, jack of all trades, can be moved around to different spots, can really cover, etc and McMillian just wasnt that to me when i watched his tape. Melifonwu, Cunningham, are for sure guys i could see as being a better selection, and Anzalone for that matter, but again this is my take on the way we WERE using the LB and not the way we may be this coming year. Melifonwu is a little iffy, just because he is relatively unproven and he is pretty raw. He made some mistakes in the film i watched on him and i dont say there is absolute certainty he will become a stud, but he does have attributes you cant teach and i believe in our coaching to handle the rest. Still i think McMillian is very much a wysiwyg kind of pick on and off the field, and i think they liked that. That pick to me is the one id be most likely to second guess, if i was into that sort of thing, which im not.

I’m really happy with both picks, but chances are a guy or two on those lists might turn out better. Yeah I would have gone Reuben and Obi…..but that does not make our picks bad either. And is I like them.

You put this FO in to do what they think is the best way to build a team, right or wrong you live with the results. I hate all of the we coulda, shoulda after the draft. Just because Takk or Foster succeed somewhere else doesn’t mean they would in Miami, and at what risk? They’re both hurt.

Yeah second guessing picks is an awful thing, just because you cant say things woulda been different. Even in the extreme case of Jordan, you can only say something would have been better than nothing, but at the time, he was a stud, a lot of teams wanted him, and no failed drug tests, and we had the czar of crucifying prospects over character issues at the helm when they picked him so he must not have had obvious issues.

Actually Tim if you want to get technical he’s not really from Virginia and his feet are made of Greek yogurt. His hands are woven from the finest fabrics of Spain. Some of his fondest memories are from the time he was 14. He’s a sucker for sushi and model cars, but you wouldn’t know that because you don’t care to know.

Actually Tim if you want to get technical he’s not really from Virginia and his feet are made of Greek yogurt. His hands are woven from the finest fabrics of Spain. Some of his fondest memories are from the time he was 14. He’s a sucker for sushi and model cars, but you wouldn’t know that because you don’t care to know.
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Longest SB7 post evah!

The article I posted earlier from Armando said our FO views Harris as a 30 snap rotational guy. It may not always be 30, depends on the game situation. I’d expect him to play mostly on obvious passing downs early on as he develops his game. I could see all three of our top picks playing this season at their positions, not just STs.

Well that’s less than half of what our total defensive snaps will likely be but let’s hope they’re less than last year because we’re getting off the field more and forcing teams into more passing situations. It could be 15 one week and 30 another for Harris.

The team’s vision for him is to have him as part of the 4 man DE rotation with Wake, Branch and Hayes. I could see Hayes lining up inside on pass down some of the time. Grier said even Harris can do that in sub packages because of how quick his first step is.

I think the best way at this juncture to look at our draft is did we get players that might potentially fill our needs. The answer to that is yes. Whether they actually will or not remains to be seen. They liked Harris and took him. They liked Tankersley and took him. They showed a lot of patience and guile waiting till the 5th to take Asiata, but they got him, and got great value there. As far as that’s concerned, they seemed to get the players they wanted, and that’s good.

No doubt, and I think we’re going to have a lot more drafted players making the roster year after year, which is exactly what you’re saying with the year 2 and 3 guys. We need that to happen more, and I think it will.

Steve – I agree with you on Wake. I think it would be better for Wake, if he played less on rn downs and came in with more obvious passing situations. It would keep him fresher. Unless of course, he prefers to play more, then that’s different.

Seemed like a good draft. One constant I heard with many of our picks was that they love the game and will do whatever it takes to succeed. Football is such a brutal sport. Guys that don’t have passion for the game tend to underachieve.

I agree, and how’d that workout for Landry? So we should be pretty well set. These types of players were targeted, they didn’t just fall in our laps. A little less talent and a little more desire sometimes is better, and safer.

If you count the players drafted since 2014 and add this year, we have 24 draftees heading into TC this year. We only have 4 left from 2010-2012 and none left in 2013 – Misi, Jones, Pouncey and Tannehill.

I agree they have no one to throw them the ball but Ardarius Stewart is a really good WR. He isnt flashy but h has great hands and he has some sizzle after he catches the ball. He is kinda like Landry in a lot of respects. Hansen and Leggett are also both solid players, but again, i see what you are saying, though i heard reports Hackenberg was progressing pretty well and they had no intentions of drafting a QB early as a result, so it may be a bunch of crap and they still might be horrible at QB, but it could be Hackenberg might be finally showing what a lot of people felt he was capable of. I think their draft was decent, even if i still feel ours was better.

Bills im pretty much the same way. They just paid Taylor to be their starter, they werent looking to add a guy to replace him, they were adding a guy who might develop into one. Peterman was a decent one, i dont think he is exciting but solid and has potential. He is a long way from reaching it, and im kind of shocked they didnt take the head case nephew of their former god QB, but the rest of their draft wasnt shabby. I think the trade was a bad one, not because of its value, it had decent value, but because they passed over s bunch of great players like Reddick, Lattimore, OJ Howard, Jonathan Allen, all at positions of need for them, they get White from LSU and he is pretty good, but he isnt as good as those other guys.

A lot of people thought the Jets did poorly outside of them landing Adams. Maye is a good prospect as well but they loaded up on safeties already having talent there and not much else. But again, I’m not big on draft grades this early.

We could use a gem from the 5th on the OL after all we’ve been through. LOL

We officially have 13 OL on our roster with a few more UDFAs coming and maybe a June vet addition. We usually only keep 9. We need Asiata to be one of them. We could use some more physical presence inside.

Can tell you from those clips on thing he needs to work on, and i saw this more than once on him. He needs to learn to wrap up around the midsection and stop trying to tackle high, the whole college game has gotten sloppy with form tackling, and he is no exception. NFL RB’s will shuck him really easy if he doesnt learn to get lower with his tackling and wrap up around the midsection.

On the “good” play, he was tackling high and if it hadn’t been for their other linebacker coming to help him shut down the RB it looked as if he might get to the outside of him and shed his arms. Look at that play and you will see what i mean. He did close down that gap really fast though and thats pretty much everything that has been said about him having really good instincts for run defense.

On the “bad” play he was kinda set up for the tackle but he didnt square up with the runner and put his body into the tackle he just tried to grab him as he ran by and like they guy said he kinda had his head down, again just not good tackling form. He and Cunningham both had some issues with arm tackling and in the NFL a lot of what Cunningham got away with, holding on with what has to be either bigger hands or stronger hands than McMillian, isnt going to work either.

I also agree his coverage isnt bad, like some say, but i see it as average. On one hand he has great instincts for plays and on the other he just doesnt have fluid movement skills to stay with a crafty receiver. Still he should be able to stay in play for defending the passes just because he can predict pass quick enough to get in position and be in play. Like the guy was saying this means the QB will have to be pretty dead on with the pass, and lead his receivers correctly to not get it defended by McMillian. Brady might work him, but a guy like Hackenberg or Taylor very likely either get picked by him or the pass swatted down. Boulware which is a guy everyone called crap in coverage a lot of times defended receivers really well purely out of his ability to get a jump on the play because of his instincts, McMillian is similar but being more athletic means he should be able to do it more consistently.

I still think the guy has some pretty sharp qualities to him and he seems to be a real leader on the field. We really need these qualities, because as much as Alonzo is a talented guy, he doesnt seem to lead the defense like we would want. McMillian probably assumes the MLB role a lot better, and with Alonzo not having to try to get everyone else to do what they need to he probably does a lot better staying on his responsibilities.

Agreed, I think it’s pretty clear that our FO prioritizes a love for the game in it’s players. Makes for a good locker room. No sense picking apart a draft for a few years, although I know some of you put in a lot of work studying the draft so I put stock in your opinions.

Ha, you know me. Always a homer for the Utah guys. Utah doesn’t typically get the 5 star recruits so their players aren’t athletic freaks (Sean Smith an exception), but they will work their ass off for the team and are well coached.

Asiata has every intangible you could hope for. He will be a great chemistry guy, live in the film room, give everything he has to get better, and take care of himself. He is sometimes a little slow to catch a stunt, but watching him run block is a thing of beauty. He’s not joking when he says he wants to put guys in the dirt. Was voted top lineman by his peers in the PAC12, so you know he is a tough SOB come game time.

I was nervous about the talk of picking him in the 2nd or even 3rd for value sake. Getting him in the 5th is a steal.

• Though scouts have some concerns about Ohio State’s McMillan in pass coverage, his work against the run isn’t in question. Palazzolo notes that McMillan missed only 23 of his 268 tackle attempts over the last three years.

By contrast, Vanderbilt’s Zach Cunningham – who Mel Kiper and some others say the Dolphins should have drafted instead – had 21 missed tackles in 2016 alone and finished 174th in tackling efficiency last season.

“I think he will be the best player in their class,” one of the aforementioned scouts said of McMillan.

No, less upside with Cunningham. His body type is almost maxed out. McMillan might be a 250 LB in a couple of years. Cunningham will always be around 235 and Mac is already faster 4.61 vs. 4.67. McMillan is just getting started. Cunningham is maybe the guy who is what he is.

VERY RARELY will you see a team down by 2 goals yank their goalie and score 2 goals late in the game to force overtime. About 5-6 days ago, the Rangers blew a 5-3 lead in a playoff game vs. Ottawa when the Sens scored twice with an empty net, sending the game into OT. Ottawa completed the mind-boggling comeback when they scored in the 2nd OT to win a game the Rangers seemed to have locked-up!
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Tonight, in Pittsburgh, recent history may repeat itself. The Penguins, without injured Superstar Sidney Crosby (the victim of a vicious cheap shot to the head) were down 2-0 with less than 2 minutes left in regulation. All looked lost. The Penguins pulled their goalie and scored not 1 but 2 goals in 48 seconds to force sudden death overtime in the NHL Playoffs for the second time in a week! –Absolutely EPIC! –I won’t be surprised if the Penguins, like the Senators, complete the incredible comeback by winning tonight in overtime! THIS YEAR’s NHL Playoffs have featured more overtime games than this old codger has ever seen!!

Sports columnist Martin Fennelly argues in today’s TAMPA BAY TIMES that the Marlins SHOULD NOT build a statue honoring pitcher Jose Fernandez, mainly because Fernandez tested positve for cocaine and alcohol and supposedly was driving the speed boat that took his own life and the lives of two others. Fair enough. Fernandez made a horrific mistake.
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Would NOT building the statue bring back Fernandez or his two friends?? Would NOT building the statue end all the suffering of the families involved? We all know the answer to those questions.
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I’d argue that Fernandez, like so many young men before him, made some very poor choices. Yes, he was the greatest, most accomplished, 24 year old pitcher in Marlins’ history. And he remains a legend in Tampa both on the field and in the community he served while pursuing a career in pro baseball. Jose & his mom tried several times to escape Castro’s Cuba. After many failures, they both finally succeeded. And we Americans are better off for having known BOTH OF THEM. His unprecedented achievements both on and off the field deserve recognition, too.
Their mutual love for America, and what it stands for, will stand as a beacon of light for all those still detained in Castro’s island prison we call Cuba.
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There’s unbelievable good in what Jose did in his too short life. His role in both the Miami & Tampa communities is impressive. He should be saluted for the good he did. BUT, at the same time, those gazing at Jose’s statue NEED TO BE REMINDED that all the good a man does can be wiped out by ONE HORRIFIC MISTAKE.
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Those two seemingly contradictory phases of Jose Fernandez’s life can best be remembered if the Marlins build that statue. Sometimes, in life, you only get ONE STRIKE!

There are question marks there. But no more than any playoff NFL team or any other unit. This is deeper than we have ever been. Taken individually

Maxwell – he is not a ? to me at all. We know what Maxwell is. He’s proven it. I don’t think he is a shutdown CB. And at his $ that makes him overpaid. But he can play in this league, particularly when surrounded by more talent. I think eventually Maxwell won’t be a part of this team for $ reasons. But for now, with our cap room, he’s ideal to bring along younger. We know what Maxwell is – probably above average and that’s alright

Lippett – was a big ? Last year. I think he answered that he can handle the conversion from WR. Not better than Maxwell or Howard but potential is there. But if he is at his ceiling now, I don’t think he is a ?

Howard – was good when he played but I have him as a ? Bc he is yet to prove his durability. Could be our best CB but if he is not healthy it won’t matter

Tankersly – well a day 2 rookie is always going to be a ?. So yeah but every team is adding a ? mark like that

McCain – he might be on the way out within the year. He’s not bad IMO but we can to do better

IMO that’s a solid group to work with. ? Are inevitable but we have the bet in Maxwell we know can start, a decent starter at a minimum in Lippett and couple of other guys with high potential

The big question is can some one play nickel effectively bc that will be a difference maker vs the pats

But this is a solid group to work with
Undeniably there are things that need to be answered throughout the season but I think that is unavoidable on any team, even the good ones

What impresses me about this FO/draft is the fact that last year we were 30th in the league against the run, that said we drafted a run stuffing LB and 2 Run stuffing DTs, we also acquired Timmons, This team should be better than the 10-6 team last year. we also helped our OL to keep the J train on the tracks with Asiata, Stop the opponents running game and run the ball! A recipe for success.
it would appear that the light is finally on in Davie FL

We had such a void at DE with Mario Williams, we lost our all pro safety, then we lost our other safety, we had no linebackers other than Kiko. Pretty tough to overcome all those things. We just strengthened those positions big time

Mike,
I’m still not seeing a valid reason for a statue. I’d he had lived a full life and continued doing what he was praised for there wouldn’t be a statue in the discussion. I personally don’t think anyone deserves a statue, but if we are going by statue rules of precendent, he shouldn’t get one.

I don’t care either way SB. I think it’s just to commemorate a promising young player who died tragically. He meant a lot to the Cuban community, and to a lot of Marlins fans. If the people want it, do it if it makes them happy.

McMillan should have a chance to start, and Asiata should as well. Tankersley has a small shot too, but Harris will be in the rotation and get plenty of snaps, so even if he doesn’t start, he’ll be on the field a lot. Godcheaux and Taylor have to fight to make the roster, and Ford will definitely be buried on the depth chart.

I see cornerback by committee, until some of these guys can stay on the field and be consistent when on it. I can’t give them solid status at this point in time Piggy. I consider someone solid if they aren’t hurt and have consistent play for several seasons.

ORob,
Our first round draft choice is a DE who struggles against the run…and will probably be used as a situational pass rush specialist and not even play on running downs. Our second pick is a LB who may not even be a starter, but he is a good tackler. Our third pick is a CB who is averse to tackling…whether or not you think CBs need to tackle or not….he doesn’t. Then, we drafted two DL who may not even make the roster. And, if they do, they most likely won’t be playing many snaps and will, more than likely, be PS guys. I don’t see where this FO did much of anything to address our run defense deficiencies in the draft. MAYBE some of these guys help our run defense in 2 or 3 years.

I think Mcmillan was taken because of his tackling and run stopping abilities. And this draft was a future type draft IMO. none of these guys need to be day 1 starters, but should contribute in 2-3 years. Asiata might be the pick that could be day 1 starter, unless we have injuries to LB or DEs in camp.

Game is Sun, Oct 22 at one. So make your travel plans……early the flight typical cheaper.

Pig and I talked about it and agreed — the poll is strong for that (including guys like Mike E, Pig and I who voted Titans but would switch now) and who doesn’t want to see Rock mix with Jets fans? And thanks to all you who said either game is cool.

Kicker was I got a call from the group ticket office today and had to choose a game or face going bottom the draft list for seats. Looks like seats will be like $80 each, but the way they do it and as early as we are in might be better this year…..and if not you can biotch about what I did after.

Seat Draft Day is May 11…….and we will be in. But need all you guys to firm up your numbers so can give a real reserve. P-Dog, Son (with your crew), Brian, Ken, Phelonius (you want to sit with us need to know) OD (same Q)……and where the heck has Bookman, Al, etc. been? Not signing in blood yet, but you get the idea…..help a stanger out.

My expectations for the draft class:
Harris: Situational pass rusher with increasing playing time as the season goes on.
McMillan: ST contributor/back up LB who has chance to win starting OLB job.
Asiata: Most likely day 1 starter of all our draft choices.
Tankersley: ST contributor/dime DB.

My expectations are you put competition on the field, let the chips fall as they may, and don’t look back. Of course you hope the rookies bring something, but whatever, if they don’t work out you replace them in the future, they all won’t work out.

I agree Pigster on your comment to Randy and want to add, that we got McMillan add to that Hayes and Timmons and the run D should be improved. Why does it matter hos the talent was acquired? Whenever someone isolates something, they do it to back their opinion. Randy😉

No doubt McMillian will get a chance to compete to start or playing time. I think we’ll use 5 LBs in games anyway – Alonso, Timmons, Misi, Hewitt and McMillian. Misi also helps in run defense until he goes down.

dbolt48 says:
May 1, 2017 at 3:19 pm
Anyone else under Tornado watch up in my neck of the woods?
Reply

Well, I might guess that EVERYONE in your neck of the woods was under the same watch….unless you have really pissed off God and he has a bulls-eye on your ass, and if that’s the case, you wouldn’t get a warning. 😉

I was responding to a specific post and said in my post “in the draft”. Anything else you all added to what I posted is YOUR opinion. As usual around here, people change the message and then bitch about that….not what was originally said.

I know you said draft, I added to how we addressed it in other ways. I will say this about Harris, he may not be the best at setting the edge at this time, but 34.5 tackles for loss in his career shows he’s getting into the backfield. That’s not counting his 18 sacks.

Southpoint is a joke anyways, but it’s just a getting line, they start out low to get people to get, then adjust. Based on past history of teams similar to us, the next year after making the playoffs, they don’t do so well.

Harris’ tackles went up every year as did most of his stats. 19, 56 and 61. Those are pretty good numbers for an edge guy. Not sure he’s a liability in the run game other than he’s not a power guy on expected run downs. That’s fine, a lot of edge rushers aren’t strong in the run game.

Good point on James. Both he and Landry’s deals could be set up to go high when we have more come off the books in a couple of years. That’s how teams balance these deals. The players get the guaranteed money but the team gets annual relief so they can carry it.

I get that you want to show them off and can’t blame you even if my guess is next year you will be sitting with the crew after meeting them plus what stubhub offers. Any idea of how many for the tailgate (and that number can be real loose)?

I saw that, just didn’t know it was official at that point or the amount. Thought it was just Mando saying it would get done with a lesser amount attached, but as life has proven over and over am both wrong all the time and my memory is really bad.

“Shaking my head! Let’s go over this one more time for those who are slow (MikeE) you sit and do not make noise when our offense is on the field, unless they make a big play and then you cheer. YOU STAND THE FUCK UP AND MAKE NOISE WHEN OUR DEFENSE IS ON THE FIELD”

No shit, the ignorance of people at sporting events is baffling. Last Angels game I went to the dumb fucks are doing a wave when the opponents were hitting, I’m trying to get people to stop, but…same shit happens when home team is winning with 1 out to go.

3 Dolphins vets most impacted by rookies. All those guys leaving ESPN and they keep a guy like Walker that writes this kind of shit. Really Walker Phillips is being pushed by the 2 DTs we drafted? Or maybe we needed depth.

Must be getting some winds from PA. Not tornado like but some strong wind gusts. Probably 25-35. However, it’s a part of nature cleansing itself and bringing in the new. We start seeing more animals and birds. It’s a cool thing to watch.

We talk about McMillan, and I’ve said it too, being slow to react to plays, but I think he gets ansy and reacts to fast, instead of letting the play come to him. In the first video half way down the page, http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/03/2017-nfl-draft-player-profiles-ohio-state-lb-raekwon-mcmillan/ over and over he gets out of position by picking a hole too soon. Stay at home and stay with your assignment. There’s no reason to pick a side of a block too soon, the RB is just going to go to the other side.

The play at the 4:15 mark, it’s 3rd down he’s in shallow coverage, then gets off of the receiver and stops the QB short of the marker, beautiful play by just staying at home. I mean come on man, this is football not rocket science. I could stay with my assignment better than some of these guys at times 🙂 , they all want to make the big play, fuck that do your job.

As the game goes on he gets better and better, more disciplined. He just needs to be coached up a little bit and he’s going to make a good LB for us. I like the pick now, he’s got all the physical skills to play the position at a high level, he just needs to let the play come to him, if he does that the big plays will come to him. I don’t remember watching another player that changes his style so much during a game, he’s really an acquired taste, and I’ve acquired it 😉

I don’t know what Harris’ problem is, he doesn’t seem to hustle, but when he does he’s a dog. When he doesn’t he looks like Tankersley. He plays like he’s saving himself for something or he’s not in shape. He does seem like he can turn it on when he wants to though.

Guys, esp. Steve
I apologize … I guess I was drinking a little too much whisky in celebration of this great draft and the great prospects for the Dolphins this year. (Gee I hope that gets me some sympathy for my blunder.)

I inadvertently mixed the scouting report on MacKenzie Alexander with the one for Cordrea Tankersley, 2 Clemson CBs drafted in consecutive years. It was of course MacKenzie Alexander whom QBs avoided, so much that he had no INTS.

Tankersley of course had 9 INTS in 2 yrs, so obviously QBs were not avoiding him.

I humbly retract my erroneous statement and regret my temporary confusion..
I hope everything else in my “report” of watching Clemson games in my living room was correct.

Randy says:
May 2, 2017 at 12:43 pm
ORob,
Our first round draft choice is a DE who struggles against the run…and will probably be used as a situational pass rush specialist and not even play on running downs. Our second pick is a LB who may not even be a starter, but he is a good tackler. Our third pick is a CB who is averse to tackling…whether or not you think CBs need to tackle or not….he doesn’t. Then, we drafted two DL who may not even make the roster. And, if they do, they most likely won’t be playing many snaps and will, more than likely, be PS guys. I don’t see where this FO did much of anything to address our run defense deficiencies in the draft. MAYBE some of these guys help our run defense in 2 or 3 years.
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Hi Randy,
I realize that Harris is weak against the run and may be used as a situational pass rusher however the word on the 2 DTs are big space eaters, they are strong against the run as is the MLB, we brought in Timmons and get Jones back along with mcdonald after 8 games. and yes i do believe CBs have to tackle, i don’t worry about Howard he’s a hitter, i don’t care for Maxwell’s tackling ability he seems contact shy, lippett was abused by the steelers but came up big in other games, at this point i think CB is the weakest position, maybe they can toughen Tank up

I know that it takes DTs years to perfect their craft “see Paul Soliai” with the loss of Earl Mitchell I believe these guys will have to step up this year to give phillips and suh a blow, we only have 5 DTs and there should be 4 DTs on the 53 so at least one will be on the roster in september . it is good to see that this front office recognizes this weakness and is trying to improve it, whether they do or do not improve the run defense remains to be seen, I seriously doubt they could do worse than last year and it sure looks good on paper.

I would think Steen would be his replacement, but it depends on how the OG situation stacks up. Gase did say his “preference” at RG would be Bushrod. That leaves Larsen, Asiata and Steen to fight for LG. If Bushrod isn’t playing well, that leaves the door open for someone else at RG. At that point, whoever isn’t playing LG or RG, either Steen or Larsen would be the guy to replace Pouncey, at least at the current state of the roster.

Miami Dolphins: B+ Grade
Goals Entering the 2017 NFL Draft: The Dolphins are in a weird situation with Ryan Tannehill, where they have to decide if he’s the answer for the long haul. They need to make sure he’s protected well in 2017, unlike last year, so adding a guard makes sense. On the other side of the ball, a pass-rusher and a linebacker are desperately needed.

I dont think you look at them not picking up Watkins 5th year like you do some of the others.

Pryor hasnt been awful but he didnt seem to gel well with that system so im sure them not picking up his 5th year is about getting ready to move on from him, and when i think depends on if they can get a trade going with another team or if they wind up having such a crowded secondary that they need to move on this year. Otherwise i think they will ride out this year and if he turns things around they might extend him. I would take a shot on him for sure, in fact id buy in now, while the price is low and wouldnt even mind offering a trade to get him. It wouldnt be a kings ransom id be willing to give up but the extra 7th we picked up or even a 6th would justify the risk imo. Worst that could come of it is we cut him like the Jets probably would and we also get a former 1st round talent (i remember a lot here wanting to draft him that year) in exchange for a 6th to 7th round dev project. I think he is probably more talented than Aikens or Thomas, not sure he would be as good a ST contributor, but that might be part of the evaluation for keeping him. Hell he is probably better than Allen and has more upside for sure. Let the bunch of them duke it out and then keep the better of the bunch.

As for Watkins i think his is a factor of injury worries. 5th year would be fully guaranteed for injury, which makes that a scare proposition when he has been significantly injured in almost all of the season of his young career. They aren’t looking to move on from him and they are probably going to focus on extending him and building the risk of his injury into the contact language just to have more security for themselves. I doubt you see any attempt to trade him, and wont trade him unless someone just throws down something too good to pass up. I dont think they will actively shop him though. I also dont think that indicates they will let him hit FA after his 5th year, though they are kinda at his mercy, or at least will have to use the FT to keep it from being his decision. If he plays and remains healthy they always have their in their back pocket to tag him and work out an extension, so there really still isnt a big threat of him leaving, they just didnt want to go into this next season with 18 in a locked state they couldnt get out of. They want it on their terms.

If it wasnt for the rumors they were shopping Pryor during the draft, i probably would have said the same about him, that the Jets were going to let him ride through the season, with little to no attempts to get rid of him, and if everything worked out like they wanted, then they extend him or FT him, and if not they let him hit FA. They though ARE actively shopping him so i wouldnt be surprised for whatever the Jets do, to happen this year instead of next.

Well we at least know what they did not think he was worth for the 5th year. That’s gotta hit him from an ego standpoint. And might be a sign that they figure he is not worth a 2nd contract…..and whether they admit or not they are rebuilding.

Ohio State has a weird track record of NFL prospects. They produce a lot of them for sure, but its about 50/50 on them working out. The U, on the other hand, almost defies logic some seasons having a team that was just not very good and yet still putting in prospects in large numbers, many of which pan out too.

I think we had the best AFC East draft, but i did like the Jets and Bills draft pretty good. B o B- for theirs and the Pats, they really didnt have much to evaluate, so to look at it i brought in their trades that involved giving up picks to betterevaluate and i think their draft was probably still a C to C+. Kony Ealy to me really helped their score, but they had a trade or two that im just not understanding, given the player/position that they ultimately took, they could have had a great deal better players just a couple picks after their original spot and they really didnt pick up picks that led to real value for them, so their was to me easily the worst, but not completely awful either considering.

Seems the cheats are gearing up to try and win while Brady is still around. What isnt know, is if Belicheat hangs on after Brady. They’ve never done business like this before. Does king cheat not care about the future?

Well we at least know what they did not think he was worth for the 5th year. That’s gotta hit him from an ego standpoint. And might be a sign that they figure he is not worth a 2nd contract…..and whether they admit or not they are rebuilding.
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I believe the Bills are perpetually re-building. They are always either changing coaches, or changing GM’s, hell they recently changed ownership didnt they? They dont seem to be able to keep their players they draft, and are constantly drafting to replace (like Gilmore this year). They are a mess in general, but i dont think Watkins says anything about them that isnt said by other signs. Watkins is just a worry that they will tie upguaranteed money in a guy that might be hurt agan, when a safer method of retaining him gives them more security.

Like i said, i dont think this is the normal case of not picking up a 5th and what that means, this is more just a smart business decision. I think they feel he is worth a second contract but they want to make sure these injuries can stop for the span of a season first before they commit. The FT would allow them to ride another year before locking him down without him having a choice in the matter, they also could work out a more long term 2nd contract that has some injury language or less guaranteed money to offset the risk.

Hi Steve, I don’t know these guys at all, i just read somewhere that both were huge space eaters good against the run and pass rushers, that’s what prompted my post, in the real scheme of things it’s the LBer’s responsibility to stop the run and the DT to fill gaps and keep OL off our LBers.

the point i was trying to make was; it would appear that the focus of the draft had our 30th ranked run D in mind

steveccnv says:
May 3, 2017 at 12:02 am
I don’t think these 2 DTs are good against the run, just the opposite.

Let’s hope at least one of these DTs emerges to rotate with Suh and Phillips.

I think part of playing good run defense is being able to keep your core players on the field and on the same page which we struggled with last year. We had different guys in the lineup almost every week and not as part of the plan, but out of need. There were times when we would bottle up the run and then get gashed due to missed tackles and guys seeming to not be in the right place. Let’s hope some of the guys we added, getting some guys back and staying relatively healthy will improve the overall defense.

Godchaux is a good pass rusher, and a good gap penetration in run support. He needs to work on his technique and stop being lazy off the field by putting in the necessary time in the weight room to get stronger. They guy can play and he has athletic ability outside what ya should be able to get in the 5th round. I think we either got a really good pick there, or a guy who is just going to get cut prematurely when Gase gets tired of his approach to his profession.

I still dont know much about Taylor, other than what i have read from scouting pages which leads me to believe he is going to really have to refine his technique and develop his strengths (which is his physical strength) to continue to be successful in the NFL. Right now i would think he is almost the opposite of Godchaux, having a lot more physical strentgh to shed bockers and clog up the running lanes, but a lot less ability to be successful with anything but bull rushes against the pass. He ma never have the chance to dominate that Godchaux will but he is less likely lose his job out of lack of effort as well.

Hate to tell Damian this but when cuts start coming, there will be people who can fill his spot as well as he can, so not signing that tender isnt in his best interest. Also by that time most other teams have also filled their positions and would not need to sign him, as he would require a vet minimum and the UDFA’s would be cheaper.

In fact one might be on the team already. Deveon Smith has been described as a RB that isnt overly efficient anywhere outside the tackles but he seems to be a pretty good receiver and he can block pretty well. I think he fits what we want from a 3rd RB better than Williams, though Williams does do a really good job in receiving situations and has some quickness bouncing it outside.

As an RFA there was no compensation needed for another team to sign him other than making him an offer Miami wouldn’t match and no team offered that. So even as a UDFA next year why would he think it will happen then? The market he’s looking for isn’t there for him. It’s definitely in his best interest to sign his tender and keep building on what’s he’s been doing to showcase he’s even better than that. Holding out accomplishes nothing, he’s not getting a bigger deal.

I want Williams to be on the team this year. 6 TD’s last year in a back up roll. He is pretty damn good for a backup. He should toe the line and sign the tender and start working out with the rest of the team! Come on Damian, you have ZERO options now. Sign and play yourself into a bigger contract next year. Booohoooo only 1.8 Million….jeeze it will only take me 15 years to make that much money.

Tannehill will make this year (in base salary ONLY, not prorated bonus, work out bunus, etc, JUST GAME CHECKS approx. 32,000 PER PASS ATTEMPT. not completion ATTEMPT based upon his previous years attempts. That number goes up to 51K per completion based upon his past record. Our society is fucked up.

Bushrod is actually a more natural LG. But, it’s very possible he wants to stay at RG after taking one for the team and learning the position on the fly last year…and now maybe that’s where he feels comfortable and doesn’t want to switch to LG and do it all over again, I’d actually prefer him at LG, but I’d let him stay at RG if I was Gase because he’s a veteran and did kinda come in and put in the work. He was inconsistent most of the year, but he was a solid veteran guy who said and did the right things. He wasn’t disastrous…he just wasn’t all that good…but he did improve as the year went on. Make the young kid with younger knees and no seniority fit in.
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That said: Asiata can play either side. He plays like a RG…but those old stereotypes are going away in the NFL. He’s also athletic enough to make the long pull. I’d guess they’re just fine with giving him a chance at LG and see if he takes it. They will try guys in different positions and different player combinations in TC and see what works best. Certain guys…usually your veterans or high draft picks…just have an inside track sometimes. Unless Asiata comes in and just blows everybody away in TC at RG and looks like an all pro, you hope he settles in at LG if Bushrod wants to stay at RG. As I have said though, it is kinda hard for a third rounder to come in, start immediately and play really good on the OL. Guard is the most physical position on the field. Larsen is the insurance if Asiata can’t get on the field right away. He is also an option at C. I would guess we will see a lot of tinkering with the OL in TC and the PS. I’m looking forward to it….love that shit.

Bushrod would have been more natural if they had put him at LG last year. It would have been an easier transition and i think he would have acclimated better/quicker, but his time at RG and getting use to playing with James on that side probably trumps what would have been a better position for him last year. Id keep him at RG and just let him keep improving from where he left off last year.

Quick rundown on the UDFA WR’s we picked up. I really like this group.

Francis Owusu – Big guy who can fly, 6’2 225 but ran a sun 4.4 40 at his pro day. I have seen some of his tape and he looks raw but he could take the top off a defense with that speed and he shows good hands as well. Check out this catch, this one has to be one of the best catches i have ever seen.

I think he has a decent shot to make the team. We could use another bigger bodied receiver and another guy who could be lined up wide and just told to go, would open us up for some deep packages with he and Kenny on the outsides, Landry in middle and Parker running a deep post.

Damore’ea Stringfellow Another kinda bigger receiver at 6’2 220, not blazing fast but not slow either (4.54) but he is a guy who uses that size to make catches. He is a catch radius kinda guy, if its near him he is going to catch it, he is really good at going up for the ball at its high point and just beating the defender for the pass. He has made some amazing contested catches, and he has great body control and has brought plenty of passes out of bonds back for completions. Very good red zone receiver too. I could also see him making the team.

Drew Morgan is a receiver who reminds me a lot of Landry. He isnt stright line fast, or overly big bodied, but 6′ 190 isnt small either. His 4.74 40 seems slow but again, Landry put up those kind of number s and just like with Landry, he is more quick than straight line fast and he is elusive. He is also very scrappy and does a good job of decoying his route on top of running really precises ones. He also commits to blocking much better than most receiver and seems to always get good position to open windows for throws. He had the highest catch percentage in the SEC last year. Again, this is going to be a tough competition for the final WR spots and i really dont know i feel we can “give” it to any of our incumbants outside of our starting 3.

Malcom Lewis is the smallest guy of the UDFA’s at 5’10 190, but he is pretty fast putting up a 4.44 40 at his pro day. He seems to have had some issues getting playing time, from injuries that kept him off the field to just being deep in the depth chart he doesn’t have a lot of collegiate level snaps to his name. He has been fairly productive when he has had the ball thrown to him though, with a 10+ yard reception average in most the years he played. He has some time spent as a return man so there is possible he could make it based upon his ST contributions but id say he has the longest climb to make the team.

No you said he IS a more natural LG, im saying he might would have been but i dont think he would be more natural there now, i think RG is more natural for him, or at least i didnt think we were saying same thing, the conclusion of him player RG this coming year was the same though lol.

Tim,
Yeah, that’s certainly a possibility too. It may also have been because they thought Dallas Thomas was gonna lock down the LG position in his third year and weren’t real confident in their RG options.

Yeah there was a lot of experimenting going on last year and 3 guys being waived in-season. Hopefully we’re starting to hone in on guys we trust even if not all of them are top talents. Sometimes you just need the right group playing together. Just stay healthy! It’s really difficult when you have injuries to 2-3 guys in almost every phase of the team. At least it was for us because we had some depth issues or young guys maybe not ready to be the guy yet.

I think that LG and RG arent so much as to what kind of player you are, you are right those are old school understanding of the positions, but if you have spent a decent amount of time on the left side of the ball, a switch to the right isnt as easy and people throw it around like it is.

Asiata having most recently been a LG, would have to adjust to RG again, and its possible with the fact he had played there previously it all comes back to him, just depends on how long he has been on the left and quite frankly how good he was when he was on the right, i haven’t seen any tape of him on the right, have any of you? I know what i saw out of him at LG was really solid, and i would go mucking around with that without there be significant need to.

I could swear some highlights I saw from him were playing both sides. Maybe I was buzzed. LOL

However, he can definitely play physical and has trap and pull athleticism. He can move his feet, seal guys off and get out into the 2nd level. I’m sure he has some warts falling to the 5th rd, but the size and skill is there to develop. We deserve that to happen. 🙂

D,
Oh I see. He’s still a natural left side player. He’s adjusted to playing on the right side, but your natural side is always your natural side. That’s why it’s your “natural” side. It’s what you are just naturally able to do easier or, well, more naturally. It doesn’t change. That doesn’t mean he’d be better there…just that he could do it more naturally. I still want them to replace him, actually. I hope Larsen or somebody comes in and relegates him to backup.
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Now, can we debate what instinctual means? Or maybe the oldie but goodie….if there’s a difference between an H-back and a TE!? Lol

Maybe it does always remain your natural side, IF you played on that side as long as Bushrod has. If he had played left side for a couple of years though, and he moved to the right for a couple, its hard to say whats his natural side though.

Goes back to the Pouncey is a natural OG argument, yeah maybe if they had taken him and moved him back to OG when he got to the NFL, he would still be a natural OG, but so much time is past, his “natural” position has changed, way more natural for him now to be an OC.

Bushrod undoubtedly has still spent WAY more time playing from the left, but i dont know that LG, being he has never played there, will be easier to pick up than just continuing what he knows from playing 16 games at RG, so i concede the point of natural position you sir, and i rephrase to “RG in our system is going to be most familiar”, being its recent muscle memory not historical.

Incidentally i played almost exclusively on the left side of the OL throughout my time in football, though i spent a little time as the OC. I played on the right side to fill in due to injury, and hated every minute of it. it felt all kinda odd from watching for the snap out of my left peripheral to first step instincts being backwards, to what hand i used to control the block, all backwards and wierd.

D,
But that’s why you do all that stuff in TC and PS. You want, at the very least, to see what sort of versatility your rookies and new guys have just in case you may need them to fill in for an injured guy, so you throw them at different positions when you get them into camp. Practice will tell you how you can use him. Teams want swing guys if at all possible, so you wanna see what they can do and also get them some reps on both sides.

Yeah i dont mind them trying them out on other spots, but i like them to focus on their primary position being something thats an easier fit. Philbin went against the grain trying to make versatility when he should have played to strengths and brought versatility along slowly. I think he permanently fucked up Thomas, though i also believe Thomas was a little fucked up on his own to begin with.

Randy, it’s funny how football has become so specialized. An H-back is really just a FB who isn’t just a I-formation lead blocker but a guy who can do a lot of different things as a backfield blocker and receiver. I guess Moose Johnston was an H-back. LOL

H-Back to me is more of a deep TE. I guess you could say call it the evolution of the FB or a full back set wide, since he is in the backfield with a running back, but they aren’t usually a lead blocker and they also are more versatile than a FB, even in the running game.

Tim,
I just get a kick out of the 5 conversations some of us have been having for decades! Were we talking about this when Crash Jensen was running around just hitting people and catching some passes? Was he an H-back? Lol

D — TIm and Randy go way back before I joined the crew. When did you……what was happening when you did? In my case only reason Randy even started talking to me was cause I thought Jake Long could be a HOF guard and was better suited to it.

I wasn’t trying to one-up you on board time while pointing out that TIm and Randy have been here much longer. Was just wondering what was going on when you did join. Which board for instance. Been a bunch of them and lots of stuff on each one. 🙂

I hear ya. And what do we hear each and every year? “We’re going to identify our best 5 O-Linemen and put them on the field together”. TC is when the identifying begins, and I don’t care where anybody is playing… just get the best 5 on the field and give them time to gel with one another in time for the regular season.

D,
That’s why you throw guys out there and see what they can do. Everybody’s different. And, as you had mentioned earlier, you can never just assume a guy can flip sides. Fans act like every guy should just be able to do it. It is not that simple. Some guys simply cannot do it and be functional at a high level.

stanger,
I started talking to you because you seemed like a genuine good dude and could talk about football will still being respectful.
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The Jake long arguments are all a blur to me. I had so many. It’s all Tim’s fault. He started all the HOF talk 2.7 seconds after we drafted him! Lol

lol — but you only did when it was only you and me versus the board on Long would be better at guard. No ego involved in that at all — and you are one good dude — just the way it happened……and this was pre-first, first.

M13,
I agree. I just hope they can identify those 5 and let them play together as soon as possible. It is kind of just the way it is in the NFL but just think how long it’s been that we’ve had a starting 5 on the OL that have played with each other for any length of time. It’s been years. It’s the unit that requires more coordination and familiarity than any other on the field to work right, and we haven’t had it in a long time. You can’t win consistently that way.

MIKE E: Thanks for answering my question RE: Pouncey’s likely replacement earlier today. As I think you know, I can NOT access this site when I’m at work. Still wondering if taking Tankersley in round 3 was the best move. WE HAD the option of trading up in the 3rd round and taking Pat Elflein, the all-american O-Lineman from Ohio State. Time will tell if Grier & Gase did the right thing. They’ve certainly earned the benefit of the doubt at this point. But if Tankersley “TANKS,” and Pouncey’s replacement does as poorly as last year, we will be in DEEP SHIT AGAIN!

LOL, not only that, he hadn’t created climate change yet either. Back then they called it global warming, but when that changed to more cold weather they changed it to climate change. Poor Al, he sits in his backyard with a speedo and parker ready for either one. LOL

Tankersley could be a small reach but he has boom bust potential, and with good coaching and our system, I think they’ll find a way to get him some ballhawking opportunities that he’s flashed the best at in college. Worth the slight gamble of spending a comp 3rd round pick on…IMO.

Most people thought he was a steal. Nobody thought he’d last until #97. That was a pure BPA on the board move confirming Grier’s approach. This draft we basically stood pat with a small trade up to get Asiata. We held our ground and followed the board. Defense lead this draft, so BPA matched need.

Yep, and Gase has said what others have….you can never have enough good DB’s, Plus we say the mounting injuries in the secondary last year.
Was a good move, like many of the draft picks….no real pressure to start too much right away sans Harris occasionally….start grooming these guys with some good depth snaps and see where the new building blocks become foundations in 3+ years.

Regardless of who lines up at RG and who lines up at LG, I just hope they pick the starting 5 early and give them more time to gel. Continuity on the line makes the total greater than the sum of its parts, and it’s been forever since we’ve had our starters pegged early and playing together for any length of time.

Yeah, we’ve been doing this cross training crap for years now too. I say let the backups cross train all over the place, but get your 5 starters, play them early and often, and let the unit develop chemistry.

Pouncey is of course the huge concern in this scenario. Like you said, hopefully they’ll know with Pouncey early on. He is the engine that can really give this line some get up and go, but if he ain’t out there, it don’t make a lick of difference how good he is.

Pouncey is still only friggin 27yo. I hope the Stem Cell procedure takes.
He needs to show he can get a full season in, that will go a long way for him & the franchise moving forward. I’d like to see him finish out his contract strong till 2020!

Game is Sun, Oct 22 at one. So make your travel plans……earlier you book flights typical the cheaper. Like always, will get together the night before and Chef Warren will have his tailgate spread ready.

Looks like seats will be about $80 each, but the way they do it and as early as we are in might be better this year (one price across the sideline nosebleeds)…..and if not you can biotch about what I did after.

Seat Draft Day is May 11…….and we will be in. But need all you guys to firm up your numbers so can give a real reserve.

P-Dog, Son (with your crew), Brian — need to know about your plus numbers. OD — you want to sit with the boys? Not signing in blood yet, but…..need to set the reserve number one week from today. And please make sure anyone who wanders in that we haven’t seen in a while know.